In today's fast paced service industries, time and efficiency are critical. Nowhere is this more evident than in the buying and selling of real estate. In “hot” real estate markets, the ability to get a signed offer to a seller often decides who gets a property and, for the agent or broker, the commission. Despite this “need for speed,” it is still important for the buyer to have a property that suits their needs and their budget.
Various types of informational processing systems are known for acquiring and displaying information related to a specific industry or interest, such as real estate and related goods and services. These systems typically are server based, which have an input/output device for receiving and transmitting data, database files, and database storage. The compilation of information in the databases can include demographic statistics and are known in the art. Unfortunately, a major disadvantage of known prior art is that the user has to be directly connected to a server, requiring a stationary terminal such as a desktop computer. For example, it is known that the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) database is updated continuously. However, as a practical matter, real estate agents do not have continuous access to the MLS, even with access to wireless laptop computers. Consequently, real estate agents, and therefore their clients, generally only learn about new or updated listings during an MLS database access session conducted at the agent's office or home.
Sealand et al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,176) discloses a system and process for providing remote interactive access to a real estate database using a portable computing device. However, this system cannot interact with a real estate agent, clients, and homeowners selling real estate simultaneously utilizing available technology such as voice activation, global positioning, integrated smart key card with camera and voice recorder, electronic signature capability, integrated voice activated phone, pre-loaded real estate forms and contracts, network of service professionals in a subscriber's geographic area such as: home inspectors, termite inspectors, insurance brokers, mortgage companies, moving and storage companies, settlement attorneys, and the like.
There is a desire and need in service industries, and particularly the real estate transfer industry, to optimize time and efficiency. Thus, it is desirable to provide a single, all-in-one real estate system, method, and apparatus that is portable and provides a flexible solution for remotely accessing real estate related databases in an interactive fashion and in communication with all parties involved with a real estate transaction.